Sunday, October 29, 2006

NFL Week 8 Wrap-Up

A few half-baked thoughts following Sunday's games:

Early-afternoon games:

Not-so-dirty Birds: Amazingly, for the second straight week, the Falcons were involved in winning the Best Game of the Week. And, though I didn't think it was possible, Mike Vick was even BETTER this week than last week.

Can we all agree that if you just saw the stats and didn't know the player's name was "Reggie Bush," you'd say that – as a No. 2 overall pick -- he's been more dud than stud. (In fact, he's miles behind even being the best rookie on his own team! That would be Marques Colston.)

The Vince Young Era is in full effect. 7/15 for 87 yards passing? Who cares? How about those zero INTs? And how about that 10 yards-per-carry average, complete with a rushingTD? He did just enough to win the game, and that's all that matters.

Two words: L. J. Uh, were people really wondering if Larry Johnson was worth the preseason Fantasy hype?

Someone needs to explain the Jags. Someone needs to explain the Eagles. They get together and play and they both remain mystifying. Why do I get the feeling this is the one great game a year that Fred Taylor uses to keep tantalizing everyone?

The Giants' D is very very good. I'm not saying that Bruce Gradkowski was supposed to pick them apart, but New York totally neutered the Bucs.

It's a banner day, as the pride of Jewish fans everywhere – Texans backup QB Sage "Chosen One" Rosenfels – came off the bench to throw 3 TDs. Even in a loss, it's progress.

Apparently, Rex Grossman has excised whatever fart had been lodged in his brain during the Monday Night debacle at Arizona.

Steve McNair makes the Ravens a playoff team. I'm back to touting his "MVP" worthiness. I'm not saying he IS MVP, but you certainly can't deny the affect he has on the team when he's playing.

The Cardinals are bad... How bad are they? The Cardinals are SO bad... that they make the PACKERS look good.Late-Afternoon Games:

Shawne Merriman: 3 sacks. Think he's playing with much motivation, knowing he might be out four games in the future? (Meanwhile, Tomlinson hit the 8,000-yard mark – in his 6th season – and tied Emmitt as the 2nd-fastest player ever to 90 TDs. Sick.)

The Colts became the first team to start 7-0 in back-to-back seasons since the Packers in 1930, but let's be honest: That doesn't mean jack if they don't win the Super Bowl. That's why the game's far more important milestone was Adam V. kicking the game-winning FG. Sign of things to come down the road... when it REALLY counts?

You have my sympathy, Jets fans: I'd be upset too if I lost to the Browns. That it happened on a controversial play is kind of beside the point. (Although it begs the question why officials' "judgment calls" aren't reviewable. Totally ludicrous.)

Finally, let's make it VERY clear: Playing Ben Roethlisberger cost the Steelers the game. He threw for 301 yards and 1 TD, but it would have been 426 yards and 3 TDs if you count the two INT-TDs he threw. It's very likely this was the final nail in the Steelers' "title-defense"; the season isn't even halfway over and they are as good as done.

Use the Comments section to have your say about all the NFL developments of the day.

Man that guy is going to have to take one nasty shit tomorrow. You should only eat krystal when you are three sheets to the wind.

The worst part of the bucs game was that Gradkowski was putting the ball right into the hands of his receivers and they were playing liek they just ate a bucket of ribs and their hands were covered in grease. The bucs receivers are pathetic and the blame should be placed solely on them for this loss. Michael clayton drops a td and galloway dropped two 30+ yarders that would have put us in the red zone. All three passes hit the guys in their hands and only one was not in stride with the receiver.

My fiancee says that the bears might as well start making a remix of the super bowl shuffle. All she knows is that our dog is named rex and the bears have a qb named rex so she likes him. She also likes that he is a gator so I have to root for him even if I hate the bears form the old NFC central days.

Anytime a quarterback wants to knock ten years off of his age he can step into the Arizona time machine. Wondering if Edge James is really enjoying his Cardinal cash while watching young Joseph Addai rip through the Broncos defensive line over and over again.

My favorite teams are Michigan (football), Chicago Bears and the Chicago Bulls. These are arguably the three best defenses in their respective sports. I just want to say, it's *much* more fun to watch your team when they have a dominating defense than when they have a dominating offense.

it has got to suck to be big ben. He sucks. Has a super bowl winning team ever sucked as bad the following year as the steelers do this year. BEst thign is that carr was on my fantasy team and he hit the magical 150 yrds in returns which for some reason counts int returns. That sure helps.

In the For What It's Worth Department...the Browns and Steelers now have the same record. He he he. As much as the Browns suck this year, the fact that the Steelers are playing so horribly makes me smile. At least everyone knew the Browns were going to suck.

Add Colts to the list of teams that I now fear on a personal level. While the Bears reaffrimed my belief that giving the chance they would destory me, the Colts have me afriad that no matter what, I am unworthy to them.

Other Notes:

Not only is Colston the Leading ROY, he was only guy not to quit in that Saints game.

Raiders win? wtf?????

Cardinals, its over, start the Head Coach search. This team has potential, and will have a 1st pick and have luxury of already having QB of future.

Jeff Fisher just wont allow himself to get fired will he?

Did the David Carr era just end?? Wow, how can you start him next week? and if so, just how short of a leash will he have? Mario Williams is officially the dumbest 1st Rd move ever and it has NOTHING to do with Mario's performance, you dont pass on a RB or QB when you NEED a RB or QB!!!!

When are people going to realize Big Ben is a mediocre quarterback? The Steelers won the Super Bowl on running and defense, and anytime Ben's throwing more than 18-20 passes they're probably going to lose.

P Manning: 32/39, 345 3-0; 437 yds, 34 pts - WOW, that Denver offense sure is good! Will people finally shut up about how good they are now that they've played a team with something better than a practice squad offense? Too bad I hate IND...

Trouble in CHI: they've been outscored 10-0 in their last 2 quarters (by my staunch 49ers no less). :)

SEA v KC: Both QBs looked OK. LJ: 39 carries? How long will that last?

McNabb under 60% for the year: he has too many floaters that kill drives.

Jeff Fisher is a good coach: PIT was smart to keep Cowher during a few down years and TEN should keep Fisher. [Aside: His career could mirror Cowher's - long tenure, a Super Bowl loss, and a few down years. He should be around for the rebirth of TEN.]

I expected BAL to falter with Billick calling plays - oops. I still think they'll go down hill, but who's there to catch and pass them now?

Speaking of: Rudi finally got another TD, but 12 for 46? 22:52 TOP isn't going to help your D.

3 straight no INT games for Favre. Wait until it gets cold.

14-7 CAR in the second: I keep wanting to think highly of CAR, but 23.5% on 3rd down? Not going anywhere until that improves.

As a Steelers fan this is one bad season to watch. It's one thing if we didn't have the talent. Like in '03, we went 6-10, but Maddox was never the same after that neck/head injury he suffered the year before, and our O-Line was in shambles. Hey, that's fine, we don't have the players.

This year? We have the talent. We just keep shooting ourselves in the foot. It was Big Ben this game, the Cincy game was blown because of fumbles by Coclough and Haynes. Last week was the 3 fumbles by Holmes, Okobe, and Parker that cost us. All of these resulted in a very short field and very cheap touchdowns for our opponents.

Subtract those boneheaded mentally retarded plays and we are 5-2. Just disgusting. But mark my words, next year, we'll be back.

Lastly, I don't blame Cowher for starting Big Ben. Look, if Batch had started, we would have won, but how would Big Ben have faired against Denver and NO the following weeks?

Look what happened when he was just thrown back into the mix against the Jags, Cincy, and San Diego. 3 very tough games. Let him get back on his feet with an easy W. But oops, he shit the bed.

@eric: No, watching your team when they have a great offense is MUCH more fun than watching a team with great D. The whole "Peyton Manning, Football Genius" thing is way overplayed, but having that offense makes for fantastic theatre. Your team is never out of it, you never know quite what they'll pull out of the hat--and it also means (for cap reasons) that the defense sucks, so you're never quite sure how many points is going to be enough. Watching the Colts is sometimes nerve-wracking, but it's never ever boring.

The Bears last year, when they really had no offense but were winning games on defense, were about as entertaining as watching the Chicago River freeze over. Trust me, I know--I live in Chicago, and if you live here you're force-fed the Bears, and when you admit to even a little indifference about them, people look at you like you're some strange traitor. (And I have also spend more than one procrastinating afternoon at work last winter watching the river, too...)

@ Big D: Indy will win next week. The pattern, you surely have realized by now, is that they beat the Pats, even in Foxboro, so long as there's nothing on the line. It's the games that count that they drop.

The Packers are now 3-4, which is not too bad. The Bears beat them 26-0 in Green Bay. The Lions are horrible, but when the Bears played them they'd just come off a close loss to the Seahawks and were brimming with confidence. Bears beat them 34-7. Minnesota had had big wins against Carolina and Washington and was unbeaten. Bears went in, played badly, and still won 19-16. Seattle came in unbeaten and confident. They'd lost Alexander (who had been ineffective anyway) but had just added Branch. The Bears beat them 37-6. The Buffalo Bills came in having just upset the Vikings, McGahee leading the league in rushing, and Losman suddenly looking like a real QB with a future. The Bears beat them 40-7, Losman hasn't (and will never) recover, and McGahee is still wondering what happened. Then came the trap game. The Cardinals gave it their all. Hot young QB, Monday Night showcase, chance to salvage the season and Green's job. They were up. Bears played the worst game, offensively and defensively, they'll play all year. Lost time of possession 40 minutes to 20. Turned it over 6 times. Scored 3 points on offense. Were down 20 with a quarter to go. Won anyway. This week, the Bears were up 41-0 at half. That's the second biggest halftime lead in NFL history. The Bears were up 10-0, and before Alex Smith ever saw the field the game was over.

At home they've outscored their opponents 152-30. No other NFC team has any fewer than two losses, which means if they beat the Giants in NY, they'll all but lock up home field. Crown their asses.

Boise State is 8-0. First game of the season Sacramento State was full of confidence and was undefeated at 0-0. Boise State beat them 45-0. They were outgained in yardage at Wyoming but managed to win 17-10. Oregon State is 5-3 which is not too bad. Boise State beat them 42-14. Oregon State has since beaten USC. Hawaii was fresh off of a 42-13 win against UNLV, undefeated in the WAC, and full of confidence when they played. Boise State won 41-34. Utah is in second place in the mountain West and could end up winning the Mountain West. Boise State beat them 36-3 AT Utah, ending the Utes 3 game winning streak. Boise State lead 31-7 against Lousiana Tech at halftime of their game, and won 55-14. New Mexico State isn't any good, but winning an in conference game on the road is always impressive, and Boise State did it 40-28. Then they faced an Idaho team that was undefeated in WAC play and beat them 42-26 on the road. 7 of the 12 teams they face this year should be bowl eligible.

At home they've outscored their opponents 239-62. No other WAC team is undefeated, which means if they beat Nevada and San Jose State they will lock up the WAC title. Crown their asses for the national title! They are clearly better than the other undefeated teams who have faced better opponents, and will easily trounce whoever they face in the National Title game.

The NFC is the Mountain West this year and Chicago is Boise State. The AFC is still way ahead and will win the Super Bowl. Chicago is not happy with just being the best team in the NFC, they want to be the best in the NFL, and they aren't.

--The Packers, who mostly suck.--The Lions, who thoroughly suck.--The Vikings, who are at least decent.--The Seahawks, who were missing their main offensive threat, and in any case are clearly not the same team they were last year.--The Bills, who pretty much suck.--The Cardinals, who are not only cover-your-eyes awful, but who nearly won.--The 49ers, who just plain suck.

So . . . whom have they beaten again?

Compare the Colts, who have already beaten two certain playoff teams (Giants and Broncs) one other legit contender (the Jags), and one near-contender in the Jets.

You can only beat the teams on your schedule. I don't remember reading any quotes from the Bears saying their asses should be crowned. Good teams beat the teams they're supposed to beat. The line on the Niners game was 16 1/2. They covered that (41-10).

Same thing with the whole Urlacher 2nd most overrated player poll SI did. 29 out of 361 players polled thought he was the most overrated. Urlacher didn't nominate himself for Defensive Player of the Year. Did it make the Carolina loss feel any better? He is a great linebacker. That he draws attention from the media, who are the "raters," isn't his fault. Don't tout him so much, and he won't be overrated. That doesn't make him less of a player though.

Game lines are not predictions on what a team will win by, they are purely ment to entice an even amount of betting on both sides. You aren't a better or worse team if you beat your opponent by more or less than the betting line.

Is Huard doing well enough that he will get trade/free agent offers (I'm not sure of his current contract status) to become some lame ducks savior? Oakland, Detroit, Green Bay, Tampa, Washington, and Houston should all have off-season QB competitions.

Who ARE good teams? The Giants are 5-2 and played the Colts really tough. The Seahawks destroyed the Giants. The Bears destroyed the Seahawks. The AFC is the only legit conference? Ok. The Rams beat the Broncos. The Seahawks beat the Rams. The Bears killed the Seahawks. More? The Bills almost beat New England. The Bears killed the Bills.

They're literally doing all they can. According to what you're saying, with their schedule so far it's impossible that they're the best team in the league- whether they are, or not. That's BS.

Also, while the AFC had a good day today, season record says the two leagues about dead even. The "elites" in the AFC aren't beating anybody either. New England's big win is Cinci. Cinci, who lost to Tampa. Indy's big win is the Giants or the Broncos. Who've been pasted by the Seahawks and Rams, respectively. And on, and on.

Check the head-to-head records. The leagues are closer than you think. The NFC just has more competitive balance and has had some key injuries to Seattle.

Also, it's the NFL. When through eight weeks one team has scored the most points and surrended the fewest, and lost no games, that team is without a doubt the best team in the league. It's hard to argue otherwise.

Whether they finish with a respectable record or not is almost besides the point; if you don't make the playoffs, does a respectable record make a sound? But they need to step back and think how to make this team to be better; they are inconsistent, and have WAY too many turnovers. But talent they got. What happened to their chemistry, though? I wonder where this will leave Cowher's desires for next year.

Ramblings of a depressed man the dark day after the steelers throw the game away to the worst team in football...

Not sure what "pattern" you're referring to here, but Indy has only won one game in Foxboro in recent memory - last year in the regular season.

They haven't beaten the Pats, in Foxboro (or Indy, for that matter), other than that one game, since about 2002. I might be wrong, but I cannot remember one other time that Peyton led the Colts to a win over New England since then.

That's why when the schedule comes out every year, all of the "pundits" around the New England area talk about how the schedule makers did the Colts no favors - they keep putting them in Foxboro, usually after the mid-way point of the year.

I think it's going to be a hell of a game next week. I would love to see the Pats win, but I hope Belichick has more sense than Shanahan and makes sure to leave no time on the clock for Peyton to work with...

chrth,I see 8-8 for the Packers. I agree with your projected wins/losses. One other thing to take into account is that the play Chicago in week 17. If the bears are 14-1 or 13-2 then, with homefield advantage locked up, they may play back-ups and give the Packers a chance. I'm still holding out for 12-4 too though.

The Steelers were absolutely right to play Ben. Dr. Joseph Maroon is the Neurologist that developed the concussion tests that are used by the NFL and elsewhere throughout the sports world. Dr. Maroon works at the same facility as the Steelers and tested Ben every day this week and gave him the okay to play. If the doctor says he can play, then you have to play them. Now, yesterday, he was horrible and took total blame for the loss after the game. However, it is hindsight to say he shouldn't have played. You won a Super Bowl with him, so if he his healthy, he has to play. While I'm on Roethlisberger, all these people who post here and say he is overrated or just a QB that "manages" the game. Nice argument, but it doesn't hold up to the facts. Fact, with Ben playing QB the Steelers were 15-1 his first year and won a Super Bowl the second. Fact, in the three road playoff games last year he threw 8 TDs (3 @ Cincy, 2 @ Indy, & 3 @ Denver) that allowed the Steelers to get an early lead and take control of each game. Is he Joe Montana, no, but then no one is. He is having a terrible season and there is no getting around that. However, based on his body of work Steeler fans are willing to give him somewhat of a pass and just chalk it up as "one of those seasons". He'll be back.

It would help Ben and everyone else on the offense if the Steelers could run the ball with any consistency at all.

As (obviously) a Steelers fan one thing I keep thinking of is Cowher and his status as coach. I've felt all year (since he bought the house in North Carolina and wouldn't sign an extension) that this is his last year in Pittsburgh. Watching the games, there is none of his usual fire and emotion that he so often showed in the past. He just stands over there and accepts whatever goes on. Never screaming at anyone or firing up his team as he has in the past. It is just my opinion that he seems like a guy with one foot out the door and I wonder how that might be having an affect on his team this season. I've never seen the Steelers make this many mistakes,not just interceptions but a ton of fumbles and it seems like countless unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Yesterday, they had 2 unsportsmanlike penalites in successive plays for jawing at the Raiders and yet Cowher just stood over there and never addressed it. He would never have done that in the past. As I said before, I think he is a coach who has decided he is leaving and is just counting down the time until he can do so. Just my opinion.

The Colts have definitely gotten smacked around by the Pats the past few years, but really if you go back and look at some of those games, there are at least 2 that should have been Colts wins. Open day of the 2004 season, the Thursday night game.. Edge fumbles the ball on the 2 yard line, and later fumbled again inside the 10, both times possession changes. Vanderjerk chooses that moment to snap his NFL record consecutive made FG attempts at the end of the game, and the Pats win. Really can't blame Manning when the RB coughs up the ball twice. The Colts should have easily won that game by 2 scores. The year before that the Colts had it goal to go with the clock almost expired. Score a TD and win. Edge gets stopped. Why Manning wasn't given the oppurtunity to score using his arm is beyond me, but most teams don't stop Peyton inside the 5 yard line, but inexplicably he had the ball taken out of his hands. So really if you look at the last few games between the Colts and Pats, they are very close affairs other then the blowout win by the Colts last regular season.

Anyway, I am really looking forward to the game next week. As a Colts fan, I am going to speak some sacrilige here, and actually kind of hope for a loss. Don't need that unbeaten hype to start up this year.. on the other hand, the Pats would (assuming a win tonight) have the same record as the Colts, and thus the tie-breaker for homefield.. so nevermind that.

Take it for what it's worth, but I think this Colts team is better then the 14-2 team from last year. I know the D hasn't played as well, but they are showing a true resilence to overcome anything that has been thrown at them so far this year. I don't think it is too early to start talking about Peyton being in the running for MVP this year.

Well as a Steelers fan in mourning, I'm posted on the blog comments last week as saying they should start Batch. Did not get to see this week's game except for the last minute, seems like if they can't run the ball, they aren't successful - what a concept. Thought Bad Ben should have ran for it on 4th and goal. Sigh.

How about those Penguins?!? Conservation of badness, if the Penguins are near first place, the Steelers have to be bad?

No one else matter, it's just rock-paper-scissors in the AFC playoffs, and no one else can be taken seriously, certainly not Mr. Grossman. So whatever order these three teams play each other in the playoffs this year decides everything.

Overall the two conferences are about equal, but at the top there is a dominence in the AFC. The big three "should" beat 15/16 NFC teams regularly. Despite not wanting to think highly of them, Chicago looks competitive with IND, NE, & DEN.

@Solomonrex: Excellent Rochambeau AFC prediction! Spots 4-6 become REALLY important for seeding in that scenario!

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DanShanoff.com is a sports-blog spin-off of my long-time ESPN.com column, "The Daily Quickie." Anchored by an early-morning post of must-know topics, the blog is updated frequently throughout the day with new posts and user comments.